Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

V6Vac (speech)1. Goddess of the spoken word. Hindu (Vedic).In some texts she is a daughter of DAKSA and consortof KASYAPA. Alternatively she is the daughterof Ambhrna. Also known by the epithet “queen ofthe gods,” Vac is the personification of the phenomenonof speech and oral communication. Shegives the boon of hearing, speech and sight andshe can lead a man to become a Brahman. Shealso personifies truth and sustains soma—the liquidessence of vision and immortality. She is saidto have created the four Vedas, the basis of theearliest Hindu mythology.Though she takes a prominent place in the RgVeda, Vac largely disappears from later Hindutraditions. She may have become syncretized withthe goddess of wisdom, SARASVATI. She is generallydepicted as an elegant womanly figuredressed in gold, but in the secondary capacity ofa mother goddess she is also drawn as a cow.2. God. Buddhist. An emanation of AMITABHAand a variety of MANJUSRI.VacunaMinor goddess. Sabine. A sanctuary dedicated tothis deity is known to have existed near the villabelonging to the poet Horace. She may be synonymouswith DIANA or MINERVA.VadaliMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof MARICI. Attributes: flower, needle, nooseand staff.Vagbija (seed of speech)Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). An aspect ofthe goddess SARASVATI in the form of a bija mantra.The embodiment or apotheosis of consciousnessrepresenting the sacred word.Vagisvara (lord of speech)God of speech. Buddhist. The tutelary deity ofNepal. An emanation of all DHYANIBUDDHAS(spiritual meditation buddhas) and a variety ofMANJUSRI. Accompanied by a lion or seated upona lion throne. Attribute: blue lotus.VagitanusMinor god of passage. Roman. The guardian ofthe infant’s first cry at birth.VahagnGod of victory. Pre-Christian Armenian. Consideredto epitomize bravery, he is depicted bornfrom a fire and with flames for hair.332